Device for sealing the joint between two relatively movable bodies



F. c. WITSELL 2,090,588

DEVICE FOR SEALING THE JOINT BETWEEN TWO RELATIVELY MOVABLE BODIES Aug. 17, 1937.

Filed March 25, 1936 I Maw w B QM ATTORNEY Patented Au 17, 1937 DEVICE FOR, SEALING THE JOINT BETWEEN TWO RELATIVELY MOVABLE BODIES Frederick G. Witsell, South Orange, N. J assignor to Metal Units Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 25, 1936, Serial No. 70,898

Claims.-

This invention relates to a devicefor sealing the joint between two relatively movable bodies.

It has been common practice in the construction of bath rooms to set a bath tub with the sides and ends abutting the walls of the bath room. It has also been the practice to set bath tubs in a somew at similar manner, but where one, or in some instances both ends of the bath tub are free of the adjacent walls. After the bath tub has been set in place, it is the practice to tile the wall of the bath room and to seal the joint between the bath tub and the lower edge of the tile by various types of plastic material.

However, for various reasons, among which is that the floor supporting the bath tub settles, the joint between the tile and the bath tub is broken, with the result that water is permitted to seep through the broken bond with the well- 20 known detrimental results.

I have incorporated my invention in a device which will seal this point between the tile and the bath tub, which may be installed after the bath tub and tile have been installed and. which 25 will be standardized so as to be adaptable to tubs of various sizes, i In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the re-, lationship of my device with the wall and the tub,

invention is shown as sealing the joint between the ends and one side of the tub on the one hand, and the walls 2 and 3 on the other hand. This form of the device includes a moulding 4 for the v 45 side of the tub, and mouldings 5 for the ends of the tub. These mouldings are attached together by corner-pieces 6 and, to the ends of the mouldings 5, finial pieces I are attached.

. The device thus formed is sealed into place,

bridging the joint between the Wall and the tub.

Each moulding land 5 is of the cross-section shown in Figure 2. The outersurface 8 is curvilinear in cross-section and rectilinear in longitudinal section; so that a water shed will be 55 provided and the device will be attractive.

' The moulding is provided with a longitudinal groove 9 which is produced by flan es l0 and the mouth H of which is of lesser width than the piece l2 for a purpose which willlater appear. 5

The faces I3, when the moulding is ln place, recede from the wall and the tub, thus providing spaces l4 and prov'ding the moulding with relatively sharp contac edges l5 which rest against the tub and the wall. 1

The corner-pieces shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4 are of the same cross-sectional configuration as the moulding and are provided on each end with tongues l6 which, in cross-section, are complemental to the groove 9, but are slightly smaller in dimension to provide the necessary tolerance. These tongues I5 are adapted to flt intov the grooves 9 to provide the moulding with cornerpieces. j A

At the free end of each of the mouldings 5, finial piece I is provided. This piece is substantially of the form of a quarter of a sphere and is provided with a tongue I8 of substantially the same shape and dimension as the tongue l6. This tongue is, like tongue 16, adapted to fit into the groove 9 of the moulding.

Of course, when but one end of the tub abuts the adjacent wall, one of the end mouldings 5 is omitted, as is also the adjacent corner, and the I finial piece is attached directly to the adjacent end of the moulding 4.

Should both ends of the tub be remote from r the adjacent walls, both of the corner pieces will be omitted and the finial pieces attached to the ends of the moulding 4.

interposed between the mouldings, the cornerpieces and the finial pieces on the one hand, and the bath tub and the wall on the other hand, is a bonding. material I 9 which is of such a character that it will adhere to the molding, the comerpieces and the finial pieces and to the bathtub and wall. This bonding material also is of the type that is water resistant and does not harden, but on the other hand, maintains its elasticity during its entire life. Such bonding materials are now on the market commercially.

I contemplate constructing the device of an extruded aluminum alloy which gives. a satin aluminum finish. that-does not tarnish and which permits the person installing the device to force it into the unevenness of the file wall. Having thus ben'iorced, an extruded aluminum alloy will maintain that form. Of course, other materials will perform the same, function, and I bath tubs is also standardized, the distance be- Therefore, I contween the tile walls 3 varies.

template making the moulding 4 sumciently long to accommodate the greatest distance between these walls. This variation is slight and is due to carelessness in placing the tile, as some operators put more or less bonding material on the tile, with the result that there is a slight variation in the distance between the walls.

Thus, it may be necessary to shorten the moulding 4 somewhat, but this may easily be done by simply cutting off one end of the moulding.

It is to be realized that this device may be installed at the time a bath tub is installed, or it may be installed after installation and after use a of the tub. The result will always be, however, the sealing of the joint between the. tub and the wall and the maintaining of this seal due to the form of the moulding and the use of a bonding material which permits. relative movement between the wall and the tub, whether that be caused by sinking of the tub or expansion and contraction todifferent extents due to the different co-eflicients of expansion between the tub and the tile. I

.It is to be realized that, because of the cross sectional configuration of the moulding, the device may beplaced in various angular relation-.

ships to the wall and the tub, .and the bonding material will maintain the mouldings and the corner and flnialpieces in position.

What I claim is: 1. The combination with a bathtub and walls abutting the ends and one side thereof of a molding arranged between the tub and the walls and having relatively sharp edges abutting each, the

molding having a longitudinal groove in its unexposed surface, and a plastic material between the molding, the tub and the walls and having a surface, the outer surface and the inner surface intersecting in acute angles to produce relatively i sharp edges on the molding. I

3. A molding having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface having projections forming a longitudinal groove in the inner surface, the outer surface and the inner surface intersecting in acute angles to produce relatively sharp edges on the molding and final pieces of substantially the same cross-section as the molding and having projections extending into the groove in the molding.

4. The combination with a tub and a wall arranged in angular relation thereto, of means for sealing the joint between the wall and tub'including a moulding arranged longitudinally along said joint and including also a non-hardening, elastic, plastic material arranged between the wall, tub and moulding.

5. The combination with two relatively movable surfaces arranged in substantially angular abutting relation, of means for sealing the junction between the same including amoulding arranged to bridge said junction and a yieldable plastic material disposed between said moulding and said surfaces for securing the moulding to i said surfaces.

FREDERICK C. WITSELL. 

